Give your recipes a jolt with Mountain Dew

Friday

Jan 22, 2010 at 12:01 AMJan 22, 2010 at 9:17 PM

Mountain Dew, that nuclear yellow beverage with more sugar and caffeine than any other soda on the market, sparks a love or hate kind of reaction. For most health care professionals and the parents of small children, it’s the root of all evil.

Lainie Steelman

Mountain Dew, that nuclear yellow beverage with more sugar and caffeine than any other soda on the market, sparks a love or hate kind of reaction. For most health care professionals and the parents of small children, it’s the root of all evil.

But for those who need more of a wake-up call than a cup of coffee can provide, the occasional Mountain Dew is a necessity. Let’s face it: We all have days when we need a jolt that only the Dew can provide.

On a recent trip to the grocery store, I came across Mountain Dew Throwback, made with cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup.

Yes, there was a day when soda pop was made with plain old cane sugar. Or so I’ve been told.

Curiosity got the best of me and I purchased a 12-pack. After popping the top on a can, my first reaction was “this lacks the kick of regular Mountain Dew.” It just wasn’t the same as regular Dew.

I decided to put some of the other staff to the Mountain Dew Throwback taste test. Their comments:

Jodi Pospeschil: “It’s not as sugary. It’s not as fizzy.”

Erin McCarthy: “It’s not as super-duper sweet. It tastes more refreshing. I don’t feel like I’m drinking a sucker.”

Jillian Stambaugh: “It’s crisp. The third taste is better than the first.”

Adam Sacasa: “Jodi’s right -- It’s not as jolty.”

Upon future investigation -- and after buying a can of regular Mountain Dew from the office vending machine for comparison purposes -- I also noticed a slight difference in color. The regular Mountain Dew is a tad brighter.

After consulting with my co-workers, I can only draw the disturbing conclusion that those who have spent a lifetime consuming high-fructose corn syrup might be let down by the real sugar in Throwback.

For the record, according the Pepsi Co. Web site, the caffeine levels of regular Mountain Dew and Throwback are the same: 54 milligrams in a 12-ounce can.

Throwback has two grams less of sugar: 44, compared to 46 in a regular can. Nutrionally, sugar is sugar, whether it’s corn syrup or cane sugar.

My Mountain Dew “research” led me to discover a surprising amount of recipes using the soda.
Wow, there sure are a lot of Mountain Dew addicts out there.

Mountain Dew cake

The glaze for this cake is very rich and makes more than is needed. A cup or so of confectioners’ sugar thinned with just enough Dew to make a drizzling consistency would also be a good topper.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine all ingredients and pour into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cake rest for 10 minutes, then turn out on a serving plate.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the glaze ingredients and bring to a boil. Boil for two minutes. Pour the glaze over the cake. Serves 16.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Cut each apple into eight wedges and set aside. Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles. Roll each apple wedge in crescent roll dough starting at the smallest end. Pinch to seal and place in the baking dish.

Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Pour over the apple dumplings. Pour Mountain Dew over the dumplings. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Serves eight.

— Recipegoldmine.com.

Lainie Steelman writes for The McDonough County Voice. She can be reached at news2@McDonoughVoice.com. This column is the opinion of the writer and not of the newspaper.

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